Improved machine foe washing sand-and othee materials



gait eh giuiltfi gs teat @t'tirr.

mrncvsn 'u omNE r03 WASHING sAND AND OTHER MATERIALS.

.'L ilgt..l3th1Iltttittttb in it flgcse gram figment mu muting 3nd attlge 5min.

TO ALL WHOM IT. MAY oou'cneu.

Be it known that I, DAVID L. FUnMER, of Rostravely'in the county ofWestmoreland, and State. of Penn sylvania, have invented a new anduseful improvement in Sand-Washing Machines; andI do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had totbe accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure lis aplan view of my machine.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of "the same.

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation on the line x x.

My invention consistsinconstructing a sandw ashin g machinewith a seriesof washing trays, situated one above another in the same frame, mountingthem in an inclined position, passing a shaft through the centres'of theseveral trays, upon which are mounted stirrers, to agitate the sand andwater within the tray, and continually move the sand towards v thehighest part thereof, where it is discharged into the tray beneath, andin introducing to each tray, separately, a stream of pure water, whilethe water with the earthy matters taken up is discharged over a suitablewaste-way. V

That others may understand the construction and operation of my machine,I will particularly describe it.

A- A are the trays in which the.- process of washing is carried on.These trays are constructed with the side-piece on the back muchnarrower than the side-piece on the front, so that, as the tray standswith its'bottom inclined, as represented. fig. 3, the upper edges ofallot" the side-pieces will be about level. In the upper away from thecentre, where it is constantly being received.

edge ofthe side-piece, at the front, I make a small waste-way by cuttinga notch, B, in the upper edge of said side-piece, to permit the muddywater to escape directly from the machine, And through the bottom of thetray, on the opposite'or upper side, I make an oblong hole, C, throughwhich the sand is discharged into the tray below. For convenience ofconstruction I make each tray in two parts, divided across from side toside, through the centre of the hole through which the shaft pn.sses,.sothat either or all of the trays maybe removed without disturbing theshaft'which operates the stirrers. When the machine is set up,theyare-placed'one above another, with the wedge-shaped blocks DD'between them at each side, so as'to keepthem equidistant, and theirbottoms parallel. placing them, also, with the front side all on thesame line, as shown in fig. 3, the upper trays will discharge clear ofthose below, so that muddy water from one will not find its way to thetraybe neath. When the trays are in position the strips E E are placed,and the rods F F are passed through from front rear,. and the wholebound firmly together by screw-nutsnpon the ends of said rods. The frameG Gr surrounds the whole, and supports the water-trough H and theoperative mechanism, of which the shaft I, with the pulley J, are theprime movers. The main shaft K, upon which the stirrers L are mounted,stands upon the step M under the centre of the machine, andperpendicular to the surfaces of the tray bottoms. At the upper end ofthis shaft is the bevel-wheel N, which gears with-the driving-pinion 0upon the shaft I. The stirrersL are arms, suiiiciently long to reachnearly across the internal diameter of the tray. 'lhcyare provided ontheir under sides with oblique vanes or wings, and are hung upon theshaft K at about the oentreot' length. When the shaft K is caused torevolve, by reason of movement being imparted to the shaft I, thestirrers La're moved tray bottom, the oblique vanes upon their undersides continually moving the sand The trough H is located upon the topotthe frame G. Into this trough is discharged the water elevated by pumpsor received from some natural reservoir. If pumps are used, they may beoperated by the crank P, or by some other suitable or convenient means.At one end of the trough H is the chute Q, over which the water-flowsinto the upper tray, and at the other end hich convey water from thetrough toeach of the lower trays; said spouts being as'many in number asthe number of trays, less one. Beneath the chute Q is the shaking screenS, agitated by the countershaft 1, which receives motion from adriving-wheel, U, upon the shaft 1, or it may be shaken by some otherarrangement of devices, it' more convenient. 'lhat end of the screen Swhich is beneaththe chute Q is hung upon a pivot, and theopposito end issuspended by rods or wires from the bracket V, so that it may swingfreely. The sand is shovelled upon the screen S, and at the same timewater pours upon it over the chute Q,- the means described, so that allparticles above the size whichwill pass through along the surface of thethe spouts R, w

and the whole is agitated by the screen will be excluded, and finallydischarged over the end thereof into thejwaste' spout W, audbe thrownout of the machine. The action of the-water, in conjunction with theagitation 0t the screen, separates the sand from the earthy matters withwhich it is mixed beforc reaching the trays, so that the'stirrershaveonly to perfectthe division by depositing the sand in one place and theearthy matters in another. When the sand, earth, and water pass throughthe screen they fall upon the board'X. which is inclined sov as todischarge them into the tray at about its centre, fromwhich time theyare subjected to the action of the stirrers until the sand is washedperfectlycleami The oblique vanes of the'stirrcrs continually move thesand about upon the bottom of the trays. It is firstmoved fromthe-centre towards the outer edges, and from the higher to the lowerpart. The tray is filled with water to the level of 'the waste, andfresh water is continually poured in so that there is a constant currentflowing out over the Waste. lie sl irrcrs continually agitate this bodyof water, inducing it to receii'e in suspension and convey away theearthy matters which were mixed with the hand. As the sand accumulatesin the upper tray, the stirrer gradually moves some of it aroundtowardthe upper side, and, finally, at each revolution, some is drawn upand falls through the hole G intothe spout Y, which receives water fromthe spout R, and thence conveys the sand and this pure water to thecentre of the next tray, where it is again discharged and submitted tothe same action of the stirrer and water. Considerable earthy.

matter will be discharged from the upper to the tray next below. A lessquantity will reach the third, and so on, until, when discharged 'fromthe lowermost tray, the sand .n'ill be practically pure and clenn.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

The combination of the inclined trays A A and stirrers L L, constructedand acting conjointly, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

The combination of the inclined trays A A and spouts Y Y, or their.equ-i\'a.lents, .to supply each tray separately with pure water,substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

The trays A 'A, when located one above another, and pierced centrally bythe shaft K, upon which the stirrers are located, so as to Wash andrewash the sand without re-hnndling the same, and without occupying morespace than the area of one tray requires, substantially asset forth anddescribed. i

The agitating screw S, in combination with stirring mechanism of asand-Washer, to eonnninute the sand and earthy matters before beingsubmitted to the action of said stirring mechanism, substantially as setforth.

The trays, stirring mechanism, water-spouts, screen, dx'ivinggea-r, andframework herein set forth and described, to form a machine for washingandclea-nsing sand of the earthy matters usually mixed with it.

DAVID L. FURMER.

W'itncsses:

HA'nvi-ir B. FRYE, JouN O. CUNNINGHAM.

